Hiddink tells Atsu to go on loan

Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink says midfielder Christian Atsu should follow in the footsteps of Papy Djilobodji, who joined Werder Bremen last week on loan.

Atsu, 24, returned to Stamford Bridge last December after an unsuccessful loan spell at Bournemouth, which was hampered by a troublesome knee injury he sustained while on international duty with Ghana September last year.

“I think Atsu is the same as with Papy. Players who don’t have much of an option to play at Chelsea must get the experience of playing weekly [elsewhere],” Hiddink was quoted as saying by IBT.

“I cannot say much more than this. He is not a young player, he is 24 and such guys need to play,” he added.

Atsu has been linked with a loan move to Spanish sides Levante and Espanyol, according to Marca.

However, Goal understands that Chelsea have submitted an offer of £15 million plus the Ghanaian for Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez.